Thursday, June 26, 2008

Baskin-Robbins Gets Vegan-Friendly

No matter how many years go by or how many inspirational John Robbins books I read, I never get over the fact that my Inner Child believes that Baskin- Robbins is how people tell you they love you. It's sad, I know, but when I was little my Grandma and Grandpa would take me there, lifting me up so I could gaze at all the magical ice cream colors before making my choice. It felt like the biggest treat in the whole, wide world.

So imagine my dismay when the only vegan flavor my local store carried was Lime Daiquiri Ice. Rum-flavored ice was not exactly the child-friendly flavor I dreamed of sharing with the little ones.

This year, though, Baskin-Robbins has come up with two brand new vegan flavors: Tropical Ice and Strawberry Sorbet. My store carries both, and after shmoo's last softball game we all went there to celebrate. We tried both flavors; the Tropical Ice was awesome.

I know, I know, please leave your "how could you" flames in the comments section. You really should probably just stay home and teach your kids that there are sugar-free ways to show you care. But I still wanted to get the news out to those of you, like me, who don't feel like proper parents without some summertime trips to the BR.

22 comments:

i really hope nobody is lame enough to give you a hard time, but bless the ol' blogosphere, i'm sure they're out there somewhere.

good for you in sharing something special with your son. i might have to give this a try! i like having options when omni friends and family all go places- and out for ice cream is one of them. it's nice to not feel left out :)

After eight years of being (mostly) dairy-free, the last of my cravings to linger has been ice cream, and BR was where my hubby and I got to know each other over many many sundaes back in the 80s. We treat our kids to BR every once in a while, but there has been *nothing* for me to enjoy there, and the kids feel sorry for me. They understand why Mommy gets left out, but it's sad to them, and to me. Now, I get to be happy at BR once again, and try that sorbet! Yay!

Thanks for the news. We're not totally vegan, but avoid dairy and my kids get left out of things like B & R, which is right across the street form church/school/ball field. Good to know I might be able to take them next time;0)

No complaint here (sugar is gooooood...), only posting to relay that Lime Daquiri Ice was my absolute favorite flavor as a kid. So, for at least one person, out of all the 31-derful flavors, Lime Daquiri Ice was certainly the *most* kid-friendly! (And it's not rum-flavored... not even in the slightest- at least not like any rum I've ever had- Just lime-y.) Yum. Now I'm going to have to go get some after work today!

I recently popped in to a Baskin Robbins and got a scoop of sorbet. It was delicious. And honestly walking in to a place in a strip mall, and ordering an item exactly how it comes on the menu, feels so so good!

I never knew BR even had ONE vegan-friendly flavor! I'm excited. Ice cream has to be the hardest thing to give up next to cheese!!! I am studying to become a dietician but I think denying yourself some goodies is terrible. A BR trip or two this summer could be good for the soul! = ) Thanks for the info.

>>jennifer, is there a way to search your blog? i was looking for a post you made a couple of years ago and did not know how to find it... TIA.

My blog has a "search blog" field in the upper left corner you can try, but my experience with it has been very hit-or-miss. If you tell me what you're looking for I can probably find it even if the search does not.

I'm so psyched. Thank you for posting this. I have to say it's very helpful to people like me who are *mostly* dairy-free but occasionally get sucked in by friends and peer pressure when going out. (I'm sixteen! I don't have a lot of willpower!)Thank you! And I've been following this blog since probably the third post. You are amazing.

My niece had a birthday party a few months ago with a cake from Baskin Robbins, which was a few doors down. I walked over there with my daughter and was thrilled to see that they had a bunch of dairy-free and egg-free offerings, as well as labels on all the choices.

BUT...I was blown away by the fact that they use the same scoops for them all. They put the used scoops into a shared water bath to remove flavor residue.

Since my daughter is allergic to all traces of egg (and chocolate), this meant we couldn't have anything. Even if they used a clean spoon, every carton was already contaminated.

I wrote BR but got no response.

Maybe your local BR separates the scoops, or maybe trace amounts aren't important to you, but it's something people should be aware of.